The Vampire Lestat and the Problem of Eternal Damnation Essay

The problem or question of what it means to be damned is difficult to understand at the best of times, it is however all the more difficult when the subject in question is a vampire. How does a vampire that has developed God-like powers and whose only way to survive is to take human life, redeem themselves in the eyes of God? This is not really an issue for Lestat; as for the majority of the Vampire Chronicles he believes himself to be a form of God. With every life that Lestat takes he is committing a mortal sin, the gravest form of sin and he does so with full knowledge and consent. With reference to Anne Rices Vampire Chronicles and both Interview with the Vampire and Queen of the Damned motion pictures, Lestats journey from mortal to†¦show more content†¦By their very nature, a mortal sin cuts our relationship off from God and turns man away from his creator. (Saintaquinas.com: 1) If mortal sin is a grave matter, what does the bible constitute as being a grave matter? One idea to look upon is breaking any one of the Ten Commandments, although some are not considered as grave as others. St. Paul offers us a list of such offences, which if committed will not allow the sinner to enter the Kingdom of God: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians, 1995, 5:19-20: 824) It would be fair to assume that almost everyone is guilty of at least one of the above sins at some point in life; however, a being such as Lestat is on a different level of sin. Of course in between these levels of sin there are sins, which are considered to be of a graver nature, it is obviously a graver sin to murder than to be a drunk. From this it would be simpler to know that the latter would be considered a venial sin and not within the same gravity of a mortal sin and therefore the sinner can be saved. However bad a mortal sin is, according to theShow MoreRelatedThe New Vampire: Bram Stokers Dracula and Anne Rices Interview with the Vampire2047 Words   |  9 PagesThe vampire has been a mysterious and enticing figure since its entrance into popular culture, usually regarded as the tale Dracula written in 1897 by Bram Stoker. Stoker, and later Anne Rice, as well as many other writers and directors have capitalized on the fascination the public has with these dark creatures of the night. Whether they are in books or on the big screen vampires capture our imagination, tantalizing us with a taste of the darker side of life. But if vampires are so dark and so

Essay Dracula A Simple Tale of Good vs. Evil - 1491 Words

Batman beats the Joker. Spiderman banishes the Green Goblin. For centuries story tellers have used the basic idea of good beats bad to guide their tales. Stories of blood sucking, human possessions and other tales have been passed down generations and vary between cultures. Among the creators of the famous protagonists is, Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula. This fictional character was soon to be famous, and modified for years to come into movie characters or even into cereal commercials. But the original will never be forgotten; a story of a group of friends all with the same mission, to destroy Dracula. The Count has scared many people, from critics to mere children, but if one reads betweens the line, Stoker’s true message can be†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Despite the claimed reverence for puritan ideals, the Victorian era brought numerous challenges to Christianity, including the growing trends of materialism, rationalism, communism, and higher criticism of the Bible.† (WEB). There was a lot of controversy going on at that time so people were beginning to doubt their religion and the church, these people who were against God were seen as immoral just as Dracula seen as. Just like Mina and Lucy were infected by sinful blood, the people in that time were also brainwashed by scientists to believe that religion was not true. However Bram Stoker reinforced his universal truth to show that in this context, religion was the good and that scientists were the bad of that time. â€Å"A great number of people were habitual church-goers, at least once and probably twice, every Sunday. The Bible was frequently and widely read by people of every class; so too were religious stories and allegories.† (WEB). Although some people went astray of their religion, a large part of the population was still true to their roots and followed religious practices. The church’s main goal was to increase its followers, usually the ones off track wer e brought back only when the doubt was destroyed; Mina’s process of conversion was stopped the same when Dracula was destroyed. Being religious meant the god would keep you in health and if you were evil then you would have a terrible life. Stoker describedShow MoreRelatedSetting Archetypes1258 Words   |  6 Pagesover† or a decision that cannot be taken back. In Africa, and thus African literature, rivers are the largest sources of income and commerce and so have additional meaning leaning toward the source of life and morality and the where the fight for good and evil happens. 2. The Garden – In ancient times, across many cultures (Sumeria, Greece, Rome) the garden was seen as a place of earthly delights. Often stories about young love had couples meeting in gardens. Gardens came to symbolize love, fertilityRead MoreCause and Impact Analysis on the Main Character’s Suffering in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Novel Eat, Pray, Love7348 Words   |  30 Pagesauthor gives a different sensation but about common problems that happen to anyone. Problems in the novel â€Å"Eat, Pray, Love† gave a different atmosphere. Although it seemed simple but had a tremendous conflict. Conflicts that occurred in daily were a pervasive anxiety and depression in the main character in this novel. Impressed simple but very weighty.  There were some review came from San Francisco Chronicle - Don Lattin and Jennifer Egan. Both of them gave respond about this novel. Firstly, the reviewRead MoreThe Studio System Essay14396 Words   |  58 PagesUniversal Studios emerged as the key innovator in creating a second studio system. He realized that creating a global media conglomerate was more important than simply being vertically integrated. Gomerys history tells the story of a tale of two systems using primary materials from a score of archives across the United States as well as a close reading of both the business and trade press of the time. Together with a range of photographs never before published the book

Hotel and Hospitality Management for Gourmet - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theHotel and Hospitality Management for Gourmet Escape. Answer: Introduction Many people enjoy fun and drinks after the long period of work. However, it sometimes challenging to get all the necessary fun in one place. The Margaret River Gourmet Escape is a remarkable event that provides the opportunity to both local and international people to celebrate food and drinks in reference to Connell et al (2016). This event takes place in November each year in South West Australia. Every festive program goes up to four days with the audience enjoying food and drinks. The program was launched in 2012, however, since it was launched, it has provided the cool atmosphere and remarkable landscape for people to share over seventy thousand different types of foods. Overview of the program since 2013. In every year, the program attracts different local and international chefs and personalities. In this part of the assignment, it is going to elaborate the growth and development of the program since 2013. The 2013 event According to Gannaway (2017) in this year, this festive event took place between 22nd November and 24th November. In every year the event has different chefs, in this year 2013, the Siemens Home Appliances took the center stage of the event. According to the statistics, twenty-five both local and international food including the wine celebrities were present at the event. These foods and celebrities comprise of the world well stage groups. The event was so inspiring and full of funny things, which made the Margaret River Gourmet Escape to gunner top ten positions as one of the remarkable places in the world. In addition to that, the program comprised of very talented people and this made it be named in the world magazines as one of the vital festival events going on in the world in reference to Gibson (2014). Actually, the world magazine rated the event in the top sixteen list of essential event in the world. Besides that, the presented chefs prepared best lunches, delicious dinners as the soft music was going around the event. 2014 event In this year, the remarkable festive event was held between 21st November to 23rd November. In this year, there were several improvements in the event including new places of staging such as the beach, forest, and vineyard. Besides that, there were many new faces, which comprised of Ashley Palma, Paul West, Ben Milgate, and Massimo Bottura among other new faces according to Higgins-Desbiolles (2017). The chefs who took the center stage of this event included Heston Blumenthal. This experienced chef prepared a fat duck from outside the United Kingdom. For the best achievement, Heston was accompanied with other experienced chefs such as Clare Smith, Jonny Lake among others. There was a beautiful forest setting prepared in the event. Many could enjoy solely cooked meet in these cool places. Having such joyous event, it was ranked as the top fifty events and the special award was set aside for it. 2015 event Littman, (2016) says that, this event took place starting on 19th Thursday, November with several chefs such as Rick Stein, Marco Piere, and Matt Stone among other experienced chefs. Several foods were displayed including the coffee drinks. The aroma of the delicious food covered all over the beautiful scenery of South West Australia. Event of 2016 It took place between 18th to 20th November with several outstanding foods and drinks. The chefs who were present included Peter Gilmour, James Halliday and Rick Stein among others. The venue of the event was Leeuwin Estate and the environment was filled with delicious wine and food from the experts in reference to Mak et al (2017). 2017 event This remarkable event took center stage between 16th to 19th November. The known chefs from Canada, Roger Mooking, proved his skills of preparing the best delicious meals ever. Many people had the opportunity to interact with the chefs while they were sharing the knowledge on food preparation. On the other hand, people enjoyed wine and drinks from the world, talented chefs. This event uses various planning strategies to promote Margaret River as gastronomic tourism in terms of local food and wine industry. These strategies are grouped into domestic and international strategies. Domestic strategies. Margaret River is famous for producing excellent food and drinks. There are many strategies in place to promote the drink industry locally. There is the wide range of customers in the social media. From that finding, the digital team has created a social media platform known as the restaurantaustralia.com to promote the products. This website allows the local people to view the available drinks in Margret River. Secondly, there is wine and food campaign strategy in the grassroots. The local people are taught on the available wines and drinks to increase the number of visitors in the event. Consequently, there is cooperative strategy established in the forest region. The co-operative involves the local farmers and producers in the region. In this union, there is production and marketing of the farm produce sufficient to the locals. Lastly, there are locally organized events that aim at promoting the wine industry to the locals. The events are continuously updated on the website to ena ble the local community to prepare and cheer the drinks. Internationally On the part of international marketing, the strategy focuses on the countries in South East Asia such as Indonesia. The accessibility to these countries is very easy due to the international airport. There is trade partnership with the wholesalers and the airlines on how to go and educate the consumers in other countries. The campaign aims at creating awareness on the available drinks. Besides that, the customers coming to these events are given free travel packages in the airport. Other digital campaigns cover the international countries. The campaigns are aired through social media to inspire the tourist to join the event. On the last part, there is direct marketing of the wine and food in this event to the international countries. The strategy allows more people to get to know the wine and food industry in the event. Nieves Segarra-Ciprs (2015) says that, there are some issues, which have impact on the future of this event; these include economic, environmental, social and political issues. On matters of politics, there have been some government announcements and legislation that will affect the event. For instance, the government had announced that the event venue would be different beginning 2019 in reference to Mitchell et al (2015). The event will be in two places, the Margaret River and the Swan Valley. The announcement may cause some future confusions leading to low turnouts. Secondly, there are several environmental legislation enacted by the government. Anybody coming to the event in future must respect the laws. The management of this event must increase there budget to ensure that everything that may be polluting the environment is put under control. On the side of economic issue, the main factor that have impact on the future of this event is the fall in the value of the Australian do llars. When the value of the dollar falls in means that the management of the event may not collect much from the tourist. In addition to that, other economic issues is the lack of the proper earning from the local people. As stated earlier, this event is not only organized for the international tourists but also the local people. It is therefore essential for the people to have a good source of earning to make them come to this remarkable event according to van der Rest (2015). The awards that are given in the event should not only go for the tourists outside but also to the locals. If change in earning rate happens, people will not manage to come to the event. Consequently, on the environment matter, the infrastructure in the place affect how people attend the event. When the area improves in terms of infrastructure many local and international, visitors should be expected to come. However, if the security and housing in the area is of low quality it might lead to the drop in the attendance. The other thing is the weather change. People differs on how they adapt to weather, this is also environment factor that may affect the event. Apparently, on the part of social matter, the factors that may affect the event may be racism, tribalism among other factors. When everybody is welcomed in the event without priority, more visitors will come, however, if there is favoritism it may lead to drop in the number according to Rogli? (2017). Walsh (2015) sys that, when the management of this program wants to support the development of astronomic tourism in Margaret River, some activities should be incorporated during the event. For instance, when organizing the event, there should be time for the upcoming chefs. From the past years, the event is always hosting the experienced chefs but forgetting the upcoming teams. There should be a program to identify the upcoming chefs in the local area plus all the international team. If the program is initiated, many people will feel inspired to come to this event. On the sides of food, the team should incorporate the locally made beers and provide to the international group according to Xiang et al (2015). In addition to that, the internationally made food should also be brought into the program. However, the accessibility of the entry tickets should be made possible. There should be a local shop for selling the tickets; these will increase awareness of the event. Conclusion The Margaret River Gourmet Escape event is an annual event that gives experienced chefs opportunity to prove their skills. According to the statistics, this remarkable event has helped to promote the Australian foods and drinks. However, some important issues should be included in the event to make it more interesting. From the above illustration, the loopholes are stated and therefore the management team should look at them while organizing next event. Reference Connell, J., Dufty-Jones, R., Connell, J. (2016). Soft country? Rural and regional Australia in country style.Rural Change in Australia: Population, Economy, Environment. Routledge, London/New York, 211-234. Gannaway, K. (2017). Halliday Awards recognise pioneering Yarra Valley winery.Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, (645), 24. Gibson, C. (2014). Rural place marketing, tourism and creativity: entering the post-productivist countryside.Rural Change in Australia. Population, Economy and Environment, 197-210. Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2017). Food tourism as a pathway to decolonisation and alternative futures. Littman, M. (2016).Moon Memphis. Moon Travel. Mak, A. H., Lumbers, M., Eves, A., Chang, R. C. (2017). The effects of food-related personality traits on tourist food consumption motivations.Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research,22(1), 1-20. Mitchell, J. C., Mendelson III, J. R., Stewart, M. M. (2015). George Bernard Rabb.Copeia,103(4), 1086-1092. Nieves, J., Segarra-Ciprs, M. (2015). Management innovation in the hotel industry.Tourism Management,46, 51-58. Rogli?, J. (2017).USPOREDBA PROMIDÃ… ½BE GASTRONOMSKE PONUDE STRANICE TZ SDÃ… ½ SA SLUÃ… ½BENOM STRANICOM TZ ZAPADNE AUSTRALIJE: Zavrni rad(Doctoral dissertation, University of Split. Faculty of economics Split.). van der Rest, J. P., Wang, X. L., Schwartz, Z., Jooste, M., Koupriouchina, L. (2015). Book review-Hotel revenue management: from theory to practice. Walsh, S. (2015). City of Busselton.Australasian Parks and Leisure,18(4), 14. Xiang, Z., Schwartz, Z., Gerdes Jr, J. H., Uysal, M. (2015). What can big data and text analytics tell us about hotel guest experience and satisfaction?.International Journal of Hospitality Management,44, 120-130.

What is Preeclampsi Essay Sample free essay sample

Preeclampsia is the development of elevated blood force per unit area and protein in the piss after the twentieth hebdomad of gestation. It may be associated with puffiness of the face and custodies. Types of:Causes and Risk Factors Return to exceedThe exact cause of pre-eclampsia is non known. Many unproven theories of possible causes exist. including familial. dietary. vascular ( blood vas ) . and autoimmune factors. Preeclampsia occurs in about 8 % of all gestations. Increased hazard is associated with first gestations. advanced maternal age. Afro-american heritage. multiple gestations. and a past history of diabetes. high blood force per unit area. or kidney disease. Symptoms Return to exceed Edema ( swelling of the custodies and face present upon originating )Weight additionIn surplus of 2 lbs per hebdomadOf sudden oncoming. over 1 to 2 yearssConcernsNote: Some puffiness of the pess and mortise joints is considered normal with gestation. Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:Decreased urine end productNausea and emesisFacial puffiness High blood force per unit areaAgitationVision alterations ( blinking visible radiations in the eyes )Abdominal hurtingSigns and trials Return to exceedDocumented weight additionSwelling in the upper organic structureElevated blood force per unit areaProteinuria ( protein noted in piss ) Thrombocytopenia ( thrombocyte count less than 100. We will write a custom essay sample on What is Preeclampsi? Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 000 )Elevated liver map trialsPreeclampsia may besides change the consequences of some research lab trials. TreatmentReturn to exceedPresently. the lone manner to bring around pre-eclampsia is to present the babe. However. if that bringing would be really premature. the disease may be managed by bed remainder. close monitoring. and bringing every bit shortly as the foetus has a good opportunity of lasting outside the uterus. Patients are normally hospitalized. but on occasion they may be managed on an outpatient footing with careful monitoring of blood force per unit area. urine cheques for protein. and weight. Optimally. efforts are made to pull off the status until a bringing after 36 hebdomads of gestation can be achieved. Labor may be induced if any of the undermentioned occur: Diastolic blood force per unit area greater than 100 mmHg systematically for a 24 hr period. or any confirmed reading over 110 mmHgPersistent or terrible concernAbdominal hurtingAbnormal liver map trialsRising serum creatinineHELLP syndromePneumonic hydrops ( fluid in lungs )EclampsiaThrombocytopenia ( low thrombocyte count )Non-reassuring foetal monitoring tracingsFailure of foetal growing noted by ultrasound Abnormal biophysical profile ( a trial to supervise the wellness of the foetus ) In instances of terrible pre-eclampsia when the gestation is between 32 and 34 hebdomads. bringing is the intervention of pick. For gestations less than 24 hebdomads. the initiation of labour is recommended. although the likeliness that the foetus will last is really little. Prolonging gestations has been shown to ensue in maternal complications. every bit good as infant decease in about 87 % of instances. Pregnancies between 24 and 34 hebdomads gestation present a â€Å"gray zone. † and the medical squad and the parents may make up ones mind to try to detain bringing in order to let the foetus to maturate. During this clip. the female parent is treated with steroid injections which help rush the adulthood of some foetal variety meats including the lungs. The female parent and babe are closely monitored for complications. During initiation of labour and bringing. medicines are given to forestall i ctuss and to maintain blood force per unit area under good control. The determination for vaginal bringing versus Cesarean subdivision is based on how good the foetus is able to digest labour. Expectations ( forecast ) Return to exceed Maternal deceases caused by pre-eclampsia are rare in the U. S. Fetal or perinatal deceases are high and by and large diminish as the foetus matures. The hazard of recurrent pre-eclampsia in subsequent gestations is about 33 % . Preeclampsia does non look to take to chronic high blood force per unit area. Complications Return to exceed Preeclampsia may develop into eclampsia. the happening of ictuss. Fetal complications may happen because of prematureness at clip of bringing. Naming your wellness attention supplier Return to exceedName your wellness attention supplier if symptoms occur during gestation. Prevention Return to exceedAlthough there are presently no known bar methods. it is of import for all pregnant adult females to obtain early and on-going prenatal attention. This allows for the early acknowledgment and intervention of conditions such as pre-eclampsia.

Jane Austen Novels essays

Jane Austen Novels essays Comparative Analysis of Pride and Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen Ã… ¾ Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse are portrayed differently by Jane Austen in the novels Pride and Prejudice and Emma, respectively. While Emma is portrayed as an influential and powerful woman because of her wealth, Elizabeth or Lizzy is considered as an average woman belonging to humble parentage. Indeed, Emma is described as a woman who has "the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself;" while Elizabeth is described by her parents as, "not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured Ã… ¾ Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightly are characterized in the same pattern in both novels. Mr. Darcy, characterized as an individual who is "continually giving offense," and is also "haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well-bred, were not inviting." Mr. Knightly is also considered as a man who continually gives offense as is illustration of Emma as a "spoiled" daughter and woman. Mr. Darcy also holds similar prejudice against Elizabeth's character, describing her as "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt ME; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men" Ã… ¾ After giving offense to Elizabeth and Emma, both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightly have professed their interest and love in the woman protagonists, respectively. Mr. Darcy, after initially snubbing' Elizabeth at the ball, had a change of heart after seeing her again: "he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the ...

Fashion World Case Study Analysis

Fashion World Case Study Analysis Free Online Research Papers Fashion World Case Study Analysis Many retailers see the Internet and e-commerce as a means of becoming more competitive, reducing costs and improving service to consumers. Customers expect to find the right product in the right place at the right time all year long. Customer buying patterns have also changed and this has had a great impact on clothing retailers. For clothing and accessories retailers and other multi-channel sellers, the growth of e-commerce operations is critical to their success. Fashion Land’s target audience shops online and that’s where the market is headed. Consumers who shop Web sites of retailers like Fashion Land and shop retailer’s other channels as well are more valuable to a company than those who shop a single channel. While traffic at leading pure-play sellers outstrips that of traditional retailers, the multi-channel shopper buys more. Introduction This documents and outlines a business strategy for Fashion Land’s electronic commerce initiative. It includes specific objectives, costs and benefits of accomplishing each objective. Also included are recommendations regarding what will be outsourced, which Web hosting service should be hired, and the type of staff that should be hired. Business Strategy Creating a business strategy for this e-commerce initiative includes having a clear vision and road map to help with the implementation. While many companies may have the best intentions with respect to improving their operations, implementing change can be an exhausting and frustrating process. This is why outlining a detailed road map becomes crucial to the overall success of any e-commerce initiative. E-commerce and other technological improvements should be used as tools to defend against competitive threats, optimize opportunities, improve customer service, streamline processes and reduce costs. Once objectives have been defined, Fashion Land can then build a game plan. Fashion Land’s strategy is to not only have a major presence on the web, but also to increase sales and improve business processes. When designing and implementing Fashion Land’s e-commerce Web site, they must remember who their target audience is females between the ages of 15 and 35, who are regular users of the Web. E-commerce is often left on the drawing board because companies get caught up on the day-to-day demands of their business. Creating a committee made up of employees and management is beneficial in ensuring responsibilities are allocated and progress is monitored. This committee would be responsible for ensuring planning and implementation goals are achieved. Objectives Fashion Land should use e-commerce as an overall strategic building tool and to integrate all facets of its retail store operations. Their overall objective should be very clear before launching any e-commerce initiative. Fashion Land’s main objective is to create a user friendly, interactive and hip new Web site that will improve competitiveness and increasing sales. Other objectives include: Integrate information from all of its stores and suppliers into a single access point. Enhance customer service. Employ experienced staff with retailing e-commerce experience especially in operational and administrative areas. The Web site development process should follow a solid understanding of its target audience, information architecture and technical requirements, including database development and platform concerns. Benefits Benefits to Fashion Land for implementing a Web site are: Increase value to customers (target audience) An attractive sales channel Used to complement business strategies and improve competitive positions Lower operational costs Organized and timely access to data, applications, and services at the corporate level Enhanced knowledge sharing, communications, and collaboration Improved customer service to the Web site’s user population Potential Challenges Defining an e-commerce strategic plan and business needs Not having the financial means to support certain e-commerce initiatives. Companies often waste resources on e-commerce initiatives or do not invest when they should because they can’t effectively evaluate the potential payoffs of their investments. Securing IT resources Securing financing Getting the right Software and Internet Vendors Getting the right Web design firm Integrating software systems from different vendors (technical and financial challenges) Web Site Features The primary features of the Fashion Land Web site along with a description of the elements are shown below. The Web site should be designed and worked on with the help of outside web organizations. General characteristics of a well-developed e-commerce Web site include: Fun and easy to navigate site – Make the shopping experience a pleasurable experience by making it user-friendly and easy to navigate. Remember the three-click rule: If a customer cant accomplish what he or she wants to do within three clicks, then the system isnt working right. Quick download time A major complaint among Internet users is long load times. According to All Things Web Research, â€Å"80 percent of web users cite download time as the number one problem† [www.pantos.org/atw/]. Pages should be fast loading and not keep customers waiting. A couple of seconds is ideal, 10 to 15 seconds is ok, but take more than 20 seconds and your customer is gone. Pages that appear professional Clean and simple is better than cluttered and complicated. Fashion Land is all about fashion and style and the site should be designed to display and highlight what they are selling. The Web site should reflect good use of the elements of art and principles of design, while at the same time should be designed for online shopper usability. Fashion Land should not get caught up in the latest bells, whistles, glitz, and flash at the sacrifice of service and sales. Clear and accurate product information and representation Since customers cannot actually see, touch, and feel products in person, the graphic representations must be clear and visually accurate. Product descriptions must be thorough and eliminate any guessing. The more clearly and accurately Fashion Land represents their products on the Web site, the less time they will have to spend answering questions about products and restocking returned merchandise from dissatisfied customers. Displaying an in-stock inventory count for products – Important feature particularly for items that tend to be in short supply (latest fashions). Shoppers do not want to waste time ordering an item that is not even available. Real time answers through self-help features, e-mail, and a toll-free number Internet shoppers want answers and they want them quickly and the key to customer satisfaction is having someone available to answer questions in a timely manner, preferably in real time via phone or e-mail. Good prices and clear representation of all charges – Price is a major factor in closing a sale, so Fashion Land’s prices must be competitive. Any additional charges such as shipping, handling, special delivery, gift-wrapping, custom or special orders, etc. should be clearly presented to the customer. Payment options Most Internet shoppers want to buy online in real time; however, there are people who prefer to purchase using an alternative method. Offer customers various means of ordering and paying for the items they select. Fashion Land should offer visitors the opportunity to order online, in-store pickup, by telephone number (preferably a toll-free number), by fax, or by mail. Secure transactions Customers consistently indicate credit card security is a primary concern when shopping online. Statistics indicate that you lose 50 to 60 percent of potential sales when you dont offer a secure transaction site. Fashion Land must include a statement about their websites security system to help alleviate fears of using a credit card online to make a purchase. Easy to use return or exchange policy Online shoppers want the same or even better return and exchange policies that they are used to receiving in traditional retail. Fashion Land’s return policy should be clearly stated on their Web site and should be as liberal as possible. Quick processing and delivery time – â€Å"We want it now† is the motto of Internet shoppers. It is critical that Fashion Land has a delivery plan and system in place before going online. Informing customers as to when they can expect delivery at the time they place the order and after they place the order is important. Shopper privacy Many consumers are concerned about protecting personal information and are leery about how the information they provide at Web sites might be used. A privacy statement or policy should be posted on the Web site, explaining to customers what information will be collected about them and how you use it On-line Showroom – Fashion Land should create an online â€Å"Showroom† that would allow consumers to see the entire retailers items, with an easy to use order entry or assortment-planning interface. Online Product Catalog Fashion Land should include an online product catalog that offers good quality and accurate graphic representation of each product they are selling. This is fundamental to selling on the web since customers cannot touch and feel the products. Ordering System/Shopping Cart – Fashion Land should incorporate an ordering system that is easy to use to allow customers to pick and choose the products they want to order from the Web site and online catalog. Also, online shopping carts are important since they allow customers to place items they choose into their own personal virtual shopping cart. Customer Communication System In addition to an ordering system, the Web site needs to incorporate a way to communicate with customers. There should be a telephone number on each web page where customers can call with questions and there should be an easily accessible e-mail system where customers can send questions. Remember, your competition is just a click away! Web Server/Hosting Options (See Table 1 for Pricing) When it comes to Web Servers, Fashion Land has two basic choices: purchase their own or rent space on a web server. Buying one’s own servers can be costly both in initial hardware and software and in maintaining the system. If Fashion Land does not have the necessary skills, they will also need to hire someone to set up and maintain the servers and that can be quite expensive. The key to success is finding the right balance between outside and internal support. Fashion Land will need to bring in another company to provide the outside support for their project and work with the internal project team. The first step in determining which parts of a project to outsource is to create an internal team that is responsible for the project. Outsourcing and Web Building/Hosting Services Most retailers like Fashion Land choose to rent space on a server. Either way, Fashion Land will pay a monthly fee to an ISP to host the site or server. Many e-commerce solutions providers have teamed up with ISPs and Web hosting services, a trend that is certain to make it very easy for Fashion Land to find a one-stop solution for doing business on the Internet. These new partnerships often combine site hosting and Web site set-up and credit card processing into a single package specifically designed for e-commerce beginners like Fashion Land. Another option, called the one-stop method of getting an e-commerce site up and going for minimal costs and in minimal time is to use a web building/hosting service. These are services that take you through the entire process of setting up your Web site starting with securing a domain name and going all the way through the marketing of the site. This is a real viable option for many small retailers; especially those that have a small budget dedicated to this effort, or just want to start out on a small scale. I am assuming that Fashion Land does not have the time, talent, budget, staff, expertise or inclination to build their own Web site in-house. In that case, they should out-source it to a company or person with expertise in building a Web site. Costs My recommendation to Fashion Land is to go the â€Å"one-stop† option above. I based my recommendation on the following factors: functionality, reliability, cost, security, bandwidth/ server scalability, backup and disaster recovery. The provider to use is PB’s Net-Portal Web Host. PB (www.probo.com) provides â€Å"one stop shopping† to simplify connecting to the Internet. Because PB has partnered with leading Internet service providers such as Verizon and QWest, Fashion Leader would not have to deal with multiple vendors and confusing choices to connect to the Internet. PB’s leasing package includes setup, ISP charges, hardware, perpetual warranty, and ongoing technical support. If needs change, PB can customize Net-Portal products to meet new requirements. Net-Portal Web Host is a no-hassle web server that allows companies to publish web pages on the Internet, send and receive e-mail, and surf the Internet. The Net-Portal Web Host also allows companies to create a private, local Intranet to share confidential information with employees. Setup is simple since the Net-Portal Web Host is pre-configured. After an Internet name is registered and the phone connections are made, companies simply add web pages and they are on the net. What I like about PB is they will also help create Fashion Land’s web pages-of course for a fee. Per Probo.com, monthly pricing includes rental of a Net-Portal product, ongoing hardware warranty, limited technical support, Internet service provider charges and local telephone company charges. This should accurately represent Fashion Land’s expected total amount associated monthly costs for a Net-Portal product solution. The price listed below in Table 1 is the total of the two associated bills Fashion Land will receive each month. They will be billed for the telephone company charges on their regular phone bill each month, and will receive an invoice from Probo each month for everything else. There is also a one-time setup charge that varies from installation to installation. Please note that these prices are based on a one-year service commitment. Table 1 Telco and Speed Net-Portal Internet Gateway Net-Portal Mail Host Net-Portal Web Host Verizon 768k/128k $120 $140 $155 Verizon 384k/384k $150 $170 $185 Verizon 768k/768k $210 $230 $245 Verizon 1.5M/768k $340 $360 $375 QWest 256k/256k $115 $135 $150 QWest 512k/512k $170 $190 $205 QWest 768k/768k $220 $240 $255 QWest 1M/1M $375 $395 $410 QWest 4M/1M $1400 $1420 $1435 QWest 7M/1M $2400 $2420 $2435 * The Verizon 768k/128k package is really a 256k/64k package that has the potential to see speeds of 768k/128k. Source: probo.com/pricing.htm Staffing Fashion Land must employ experienced staff with retailing e-commerce experience especially in operational and administrative areas. An internal project manager must be assigned to the Web site project to manage the internal staff, as well as the PB (hosting firm). Web Design and Creation Costs Prices typically begin at $5,000 for up to 15 pages. (The Shopping Cart for the number of products you sell will be billed separately). This includes: Custom graphical page headers containing Fashion Land’s logo and slogan A custom graphical site navigation system that is maintained throughout the site Up to 15 graphics (photos, logos, or line art does not include product graphics) A full-text Search Page (Search Engine) for the contents of their site A custom on-line response form with results being E-mailed directly to Fashion Land Site map Setup and interface to one of the shopping cart products Link to approved credit card processing service (Payflow Link, Payflow Pro, or PayPal). Unlimited E-mail links Unlimited external links to other sites Registration with Major Search Engines Additional pages average between $300 and $400 each, depending on layout/content requirements. Source: E-Commerce Site Package from Webfoot.net Platforms/Server Requirements Platform: Windows XP/NT/2000, Unix (Solaris, HP-UX, AIX), Linux Web Server: Apache, iPlanet, IIS Database: SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle, DB/2, Informix Hardware Server: 300-500MHz, 256MB, 100MB – 10GB Telco Speed: QWest 7M/1M (probo.com/pricing.htm) Potential Issues and Risks E-commerce presents a world of opportunity for doing business, reaching global markets and purchasing without leaving the home or office [Epstein, 2004]. E-commerce can provide opportunities to improve business processes, just as phones, faxes and mobile communications have in the past. However, just as any new business tool has associated issues and risks so does e-commerce. Since Fashion Land will be engaging in on-line sales using credit cards, they will need to protect the credit card information from being intercepted, both during the transaction and when it is stored on a server. Similarly, if they have confidential customer information, they will also want to ensure that this information is not accessible. Companies have the responsibility to deal with some of the legal issues such as how to form contracts, abide by consumer protection laws, create privacy policies and protect databases [Bond, 2003]. Most of the legal issues surrounding electronic commerce are not new. Lawyers should, however, be able to recognize the increased significance of certain legal issues to the online environment. ======= References Bond, Robert, 2003, International Legal Issues of E-Commerce Legal Updates, faegre.com Epstein, Marc, October 2004, Start to Measure Your E-commerce Success, Harvard Business School-Working Knowledge For Business Leaders, http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4401.html All Things Web, pantos.org/atw/ Research Papers on Fashion World Case Study AnalysisAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Teachings of Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Teachings of Islam - Research Paper Example Islam is just another monotheistic religion like Judaism and Christianity and like them preaches the oneness of God whom the Muslims call Allah. There are differences present in the practices but Islam in originality is a peaceful religion and it is the practice of the few which has gotten it labeled as a terrorist, violent or extremist religion. The basic beliefs and tenets of Islam The main belief of Islam lies in monotheism. Islam's fundamental belief is that God is one and Mohammad is His messenger. This belief can be elaborated by believing that God is one and supreme, unique, all encompassing and powerful. The second belief lies in the prophet hood of prophet Mohammad who initiated the religion in 610 A.D. Their belief relative to prophets is that prophets are human being sent for the guidance and showing the right path. Also that out of many prophets sent by God Mohammad is the last prophet. Thus Islam acknowledges the presence and the prophet hood of Jew and Christian prophet s like Jesus, Moses etc and their names are mentioned in the holy book of Muslims, the Quran. The third belief of Islam states that God sent Holy books of which Quran is meant to be for eternal guidance and all other books are negated by the revelation of Quran. The fourth belief lies in angels who are pure non-human beings performing divine jobs and the last belief lies in resurrection and the day of judgment. This day of judgment, according to Muslim beliefs will be the day when all actions will be weighed and decision regarding heavens or hell will be made. (Alhoda, 2001) There are five basic tenets of Islam of which the first and the foremost is belief in God with all his attributes and attributing no other partners with him. The second is saying prayers five times a day and men gathering in the mosque for Friday afternoon prayers. The third is fasting from dawn to duck in the Holy month of Ramadan (Muslims follow the lunar calendar) and the fourth is giving a fixed percentage o f wealth in the path of God to the poor and the needy. The last is performing pilgrimage to Mecca once in the lifetime for all those who can afford to do so. (Devera) Islam and Muslims in the U.S Muslims entered the United States as Moriscoes who accompanied Columbus when the continent was first discovered. These were followed by slaves who were brought to work in the US and the waves of migrations increased the number of Muslims (Kabourra). In the U.S. today there are between 6-8 million Muslims in the United States out of which African-Americans are predominant. It is the fastest growing faith in the United States (A brief history of islam in the United states) and mosques, Islamic centers and Islamic schools are found in every Muslim community. Regional and national conferences of Muslims are held and issues of common concern are streamlined. Muslims in the USA are allowed to freely practice their religion and MSA's (Muslim Students Association) are present and active in all coll eges and universities. A survey reports that there are 1000 mosques, 400 Islamic schools, 400 associations and over 80 Islamic publications in the US. (A brief history of islam in the United states). Thus Muslims in the United States can practice their religion more freely than a few Islamic countries for example like Turkey where the headscarf is banned or like Egypt or Morocco where being extremely devout is often